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Simon Dumont brings Olympic medalists to Maine event

For Simon Dumont, freeskiing has always been about more than competitions. A pioneer of the sport, Dumont has already podiumed at pretty much every event. At 27, he can be choosier about where he competes. And

For Simon Dumont, freeskiing has always been about more than competitions. A pioneer of the sport, Dumont has already podiumed at pretty much every event.

At 27, he can be choosier about where he competes. And coming off anterior cruciate ligament surgery, he's taking the chance to do more behind-the-scenes work at his own event this year.

The 6th Annual Dumont Cup will feature the top pro freeskiers in the world competing with amateurs Friday and Saturday at Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine. With Dumont rehabbing his knee and still months from getting on skis, he's learning more of the logistics that have typically been handled by his agent, Michael Spencer.

"There's a lot more that goes into an event than showing up," said Dumont. "I'm trying to learn a little bit more what's going on behind the scenes."

That includes announcing, which he tried his hand at during the X Games in January.

"It's my way to give my ideas to the true nature of what freeskiing is," he said.

The event will have some of the best representatives of the sport, including a trio of Americans who swept slopestyle in the Olympics. Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in Sochi, and are slated to compete.

Bobby Brown and Torin Yater-Wallace, who both competed for the United States in the Games, are also scheduled to participate.

To be sure, the Olympics gave freeskiing its biggest stage. Dumont said while the slopestyle competition was exciting, snowy and slushy weather put a damper on the men's halfpipe competition.

"I was just still proud that it was there," he said. "It was a good showing for freeskiing."

Still, the sport has returned to its usual schedule. The Dumont Cup is a platinum-rated slopestyle event by the Association of Freeskiing Professionals, putting it on par with the X Games.

For Dumont, more involvement in his event is part of a transition to focusing less on competition and more on the other aspects of the sport.

"It's given me a lot," he said. "I just want to fully take everything I can from the sport and then I want to give back as much as I can too."